L.A. Fitness is coming to Garden City Center.
The Wilder Companies, which manages the shopping center, announced the sports club chain has chosen Garden City Center to open its first Rhode Island location.
The sports club will open next to Office Max in a 38,000 square foot facility that will be designed inside to resemble a hotel.
To build the new, two-story building for the sports club, the old Borders Bookstore building will be demolished.
“LA Fitness brings a new dimension to the Garden City Center experience for our shoppers,” said Andrew T. LaGrega, a principal of The Wilder Companies, the management company of Garden City Center. “Today, people don’t have time to run around from place to place. Garden City Center offers consumers one-stop access to retail and grocery shopping, restaurants, banking, fitness, personal services and other activities that are part of today’s busy lifestyles. By selecting Garden City Center for its first Rhode Island location, we believe LA Fitness recognizes that Garden City Center offers the right atmosphere and mix of amenities that 21st Century consumers demand.”
Construction will begin in January and should be completed by Dec. 2013 or early 2014.
L.A. Fitness features assorted amenities including cardio equipment, heated indoor pool, basketball and racquetball courts, fitness classes, yoga, spa, sauna, babysitting and more.
According to a release, LA Fitness’ commitment to Garden City Center continues the multi-phase transformation of the center into a major 21st century lifestyle destination. Phase I is well underway, with the transformation of the iconic Garden City Center gazebo from the end-cap of the Village to the new focal point of the center recently completed. Additionally, a new 20,000 square foot building is under construction next to Papa Razzi for the new home of Pottery Barn; and work is well underway for an expansion and update of the center’s highly successful Williams Sonoma. LA Fitness will mark the beginning of Phase II by transforming former large format retail space into a mix of mid-size and smaller specialty stores, while linking that area to Garden City Center’s Village stores. Further phases will include the addition of new restaurants and redesigned connections to the Whole Foods Market section of the center.
